A town on the Lys at the end of the old Fosse Neuf, held by Baldwin since 1198 and left to him at Peronne the next day.
Its townsmen are bound by the Amitie, a sworn peace association of the citizens.
Who holds it
- Name
- Baldwin IX, by conquest since 1198; the chapter of Saint-Pierre
- Title
- Lord of the town
- Confidence
- high
Lord in 1200
Baldwin IX, by conquest since 1198; the chapter of Saint-Pierre
How things stand that morning
Held by Baldwin since 1198.
Charter
The Amitie (amicitia) of Aire, the sworn peace of the townsmen, confirmed by Philip of Alsace in 1188.
Council
Officers of the Amitie and échevins.
Communities
No Jewish community is attested here in 1200; the count's Flanders had few or none. Lombard and Cahorsin moneylenders come later.
Fairs and markets
Markets.
Militia
Town militia.
Walls and castle
Castle and walls on the Lys.
Trade and crafts
Cloth, grain and the Lys river trade.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The Amitie charter and the 1198 conquest are known.
On the map: The tierra is the town's own banlieue or district, drawn from modern municipal units.
Primary sources for Flanders
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of Alberic of Trois-Fontaines, Alberic of Trois-Fontaines (about 1227 to 1241, at the Cistercian abbey of Trois-Fontaines in Champagne). The widest net of any Latin chronicle for 1200, compiled from dozens of sources, many now lost. Read online
- Chronicle of Andres, William of Andres (about 1220 to 1234). The chronicle and cartulary of a small abbey between Guines and Ardres, near the border of Flanders and Boulogne. Read online
- Chronicle of Hainaut, Gislebert of Mons (about 1195 to 1196). Ends in 1195, so it has no 1200 entries, but it is the indispensable background for Flanders and Hainaut: the career of Count Baldwin V of Hainaut (VIII of Flanders), his union of the two counties, the settlement with Philip over Artois, the rights, castles, fiefs and vassals of Hainaut listed by a man who ran its chancery, and the youth of Baldwin IX, who held both counties in 1200. Read online
- Chronicle of Robert of Auxerre, Robert of Auxerre (Robert of Saint-Marien) (about 1190 to 1211; continued at Saint-Marien to 1227). A universal chronicle whose last twenty years are contemporary and well informed from Burgundy and the Auxerrois. Read online
- Universal Chronicle of the Anonymous of Laon, Anonymous (an English-born canon of Laon) (about 1219). A Picard chronicle whose author had lived in England and keeps an eye on both kingdoms. Read online
- Annals of Egmond (12th century to about 1205). The house annals of Egmond, the counts of Holland's abbey, and the main native source for Holland around 1200. Read online
- Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
- Deeds of Philip Augustus, Rigord (about 1186 to 1206, in stages). The French court's own chronicle for the year, from the monk of Saint-Denis who called himself the king's chronographer. Read online
8 more in the sources library for France and Iberia.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.